Telangana polls: Shah to address two public rallies

Hyderabad: BJP president Amit Shah is slated to address two public meetings this month in Telangana, giving a boost to the party’s campaign for the coming assembly polls.

Shah, who launched the party’s campaign with a public meeting at Mahabubnagar on 15 September, would address a rally in Karimnagar on 10 October, state BJP president K Laxman told reporters here Monday.

The BJP’s national YuvaMorcha convention would be held here on 27 and 28 October, he said adding Shah would address a major rally on the concluding day. Laxman expressed hope that the meetings would give a momentum to the party in the state, where the TRS, running the caretaker government, is bracing for challenge from the Congress-led combine and the BJP.

BJP, eyeing to increase its tally from present five seats in the 119-member dissolved assembly, has decided to invite Prime Minister NarendraModi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the campaign, he said.

Already, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani addressed a meeting for women, organised by the party at Chegunta in Medak district last week.

BJP has decided to prepare a ‘people’s manifesto’ as per the wishes of people, Laxman said. The party would take on board the views of various sections of people for the preparation of the manifesto, he added.

He announced the appointment of a manifesto committee which would be headed by NVSSPrabhakar, MLA in the recently dissolved assembly. BJP has already announced it would go it alone in the assembly polls, originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections next year.

However, the assembly was dissolved prematurely last month, which has necessitated elections ahead of schedule. The Election Commission has held a review meeting on poll preparedness and the poll schedule is yet to be announced.